Christmas Eve Stop #2 - The Annual Christmas Eve Party

For Christmas Eve, we went to Nana's house (Rodney's mom). She had her annual Christmas Eve party and we exchanged gifts. We had lots of yummy food and lots of gifts exchanged!!

An attempt at a family shot before heading out for our Christmas Eve Party.


What awaited us at our party!


Rodney and his twin, Alesha.


One of Clinton's favorite gifts.....shoo-choos!


Another favorite....tractors....also called shoo-choos!


Keeping the shoo-choos safe!


Something Clinton likes to do...and get really upset when they fall.


Watching everyone else with the sparklers from a safe distance!


Chelsea with her beau, Brian. And can I say how special he must be if he can spend 5 days in a house with all of us (including Clinton)?? Very special.....and, Brian, we greatly appreciate you spending the holiday with us!


Clinton, Pop, Bebe, Chelsea, and Brian


Clinton finally deciding he could handle the sparklers...only to land one on Daddy's face, creating quite the burn! (By the way, the sparklers are a Williams' family tradition to show Santa where to land the sleigh...pretty cute....and now dangerous!)


What appears to be a sweet picture of Clinton and his cousin Emma in their Christmas PJ's.


What the photo shoot was really like...



After we got home from the party at Rodney's mom's (Nana) house, Clinton helped Pop put together a new bike his Nana had given him.



After I heard Santa leave, I snuck in and got a picture of the tree at our house!

Christmas Eve Stop #1 - Children's Christmas Eve Service

Clinton's friend, Noah, posing for the camera.


The live nativity.


Clinton sharing his water with Noah.


Rodney brought his singing voice for all the carols. Phew...what would we have done without him?


Clinton found a friend that he pestered most of the serivce.


Clinton modeling his wise man crown.


Showing Daddy how to use the bazooka for the carols.

2008 in Review

I just wanted to take a moment (mostly for myself) to remember some of the highlights of 2008. We have had such a great year and so much to be thankful for. Like every family, we take our share of blows...but we take them in stride, try to keep some perspective, and keep God and our blessings as the focus. Here are just a few things that made '08 great...

We celebrated Clinton's First Birthday! ...with TONS of friends and family!


We took a much-needed trip to the beach! ...even Mommy, the anti-beacher, had fun!


We took a much-needed trip to the mountains! ...much more Mommy's cup of tea!


Daddy got a much-deserved promotion!!!!


Clinton started pre-school!


Clinton got his first hair cut! ...the "blessing" part of this is still debatable...but it's definitely a miracle mommy let it happen!


We got to go to Texas 3 times!!


Clinton fell in love with his backyard! ...as did mommy!


Clinton got a job! ...just kidding, Daddy still brings home the bacon...and mommy chips in a few bacon bits.


We went to West Virginia to meet a new cousin!


...and many more, but this post would go on for days. Right now we're prepping for our next big blessing--hosting our Texas family for the Christmas Holidays! Yeah!!!

Looking forward to a holly, jolly one--

Want a Peek at Your Present??

Aunt Zsazsie (aka Chelsea) came to see us for a few days over Thanksgiving, but then had to fly out to be with her boyfriend's family for the holiday. While she was gone, Clinton decided to give one of her Christmas presents some real Clinton-style lovin'! Hope there wasn't anything breakable in there...



Laughing all the way,

Christmas Greetings from The Williams' Family

Make a Smilebox greeting

Blessings Among Us

A few things have happened recently that I thought were blog worthy because they definitely feel like blessings.

(1) First, the drum in our dryer started to fall out. We went and looked around at washer/dryer sets and found that what we want is going to run a couple thousand, and Christmas time is not the time to be throwing money at appliances. To fix it would be upwards of $250...yuck...who wants to spend money on something they know they're not going to keep...uh, not me. So where's the blessing? Our dear friend John (Cathy's boyfriend) has a daughter who decided to convert to a gas dryer, meaning she had an extra electric one that's only five years old. We offered to buy it, but they said "NO WAY"...so we have a REALLY nice dryer, free of charge! This is the same guy who replaced our cooktop for free last year when I shattered ours with the blender...click here and here for that lovely memory.

(2) Second, I showed up in my truck to pick up Rodney the other night and he got in and said, "Did you know you have a flat tire?" Are you freakin' kidding me? Could one more thing fall apart before Christmas? "No, I hadn't noticed." I said calmly. Anyway, we were both a little bummed about one more expense to endure while trying to spend our money on those we love. We took it in for a "diagnosis" at the local mechanic shop and they were so kind, they fixed it for FREE! Ah, hello?? Can we say how much we love Christmas Spirit??

(3) And third, we needed to buy another twin mattress as we are rearranging furniture right now and I have another antique twin bed my grandmother gave me that I now have room for. I wanted to buy the exact same mattress we bought last time for the other bed, so they would match. I went in to find the model we have is priced at $800. What??? Wait, I see a sale sign...50%, phew. Wait, $400??? I told the sales guy that is not what I paid last time, so he knocked another $100 off and I got it for $300....Christmas Spirit or desperate to sell something?? Whatever, I appreciate it.

(4) Oh, and last but definitely not least, my MIL is doing VERY well. She still has some progress to make, and we're all doing everything we can to help her do that, but she's doing so great. Her and her boyfriend even went out to dinner tonight...yeah!


Another little blessing we're thankful for...

What's This White Stuff?

Last year, Clinton got one whole snow day and this year he got another one! Sure to not know (or remember) what this white stuff was, he LOVED it. Rodney took him out last night while it was snowing and they were catching snowflakes on their tongues...and then Clinton had a massive fit when he had to come back inside. This morning, I took him out to play with Gracie. They ran up and down the yard, Clinton threw snow at Gracie which she attempted to catch, and Clinton mowed the snow-covered grass. They had a big time...and again another fit when it was time to return inside and warm up.







Oh, and if you're looking for a yummy (and healthy) dinner, click here to try this recipe. It's my favorite Chicken Pot Pie ever and everyone I have ever made it for loves it. There are two things I change--I use the Pillsbury pre-made pie crusts vs. the phyllo dough it calls for...just put the bottom crust in the pan, cook it by itself until it starts to turn golden...then dump in the filling, cover with another crust cutting a few slits in the top, and throw it in the oven until the top crust turns a golden brown and the filling is bubbling up through the slits. And, I also add a little frozen corn...because it's one of my favorite foods.

This recipe is also really easy to double. So make one for now and put one in the freezer for later, or make one for you and one for a friend. If you try it, let me know how you like it...we love it here...

MIL is Home

My mother-in-law got to come home Wednesday night, which was a big relief to everyone! This meant she was doing well enough to not be monitored 24/7 and that Rodney got to sleep in a bed and not a hospital recliner....yeah!

Clinton and I went by to see her yesterday. As we were heading up the top of the huge hill that she lives on, I noticed it was sleeting and called Rodney and asked him if I should go up there....for fear of getting stuck up there and not having all the necessary spend-the-night gear. He assured me it was fine. An hour later, it was heavy sleeting followed by snow creating ice-covered roads. Cathy (my MIL) started being her usual self...trying to make beds for everyone, making sure everyone was fed, trying to love on the grandkids...thank goodness I had sent food over the night before, or I'm quite certain she would have tried to make everyone a meal! She just never stops.

Alesha, my SIL, had gone out to get Cathy's perscriptions and see her son's school play. By the time she got to the bottom of the hill, there was no way she could make it in her SUV. So, Rodney-the-hero, took my 4x4 and headed down the hill to get her. On the way he stopped to show some guy how to put his Land Rover into 4 wheel drive, so that he, too, could head down the hill. Now this hill is not just any hill--it's massive. Even when I was at my peak conditioning, running seven miles a day and lifting weights, I couldn't walk up this hill without having to stop every 10 steps or so to breathe. Anyway, Rodney headed down and safely retrieved his sister and her son, Keelan. On the way back up the "mountain" Rodney realized he had never seen the Land Rover come down. However, as he was headed back up he noticed some flashers in his rearview that appeared to be in the ditch.

Alesha assured me they barely made it back up and she couldn't believe they were actually there. But Rodney, always the helper, felt he needed to go back and check on those flashers. His mom and sister told him not to go, but I told him it was up to him...if someone was in trouble, we need to do what we can....and since I'm pregnant...then Rodney needs to cover for me. So, Rodney headed back out. What he found was the Land Rover on it's side down in about a 6 foot ditch. It had swerved off the road and into a concrete culvert. The driver was not wearing a seat belt and busted with windshield with his head. Rodney called 911 and helped get the guy into the ambulance and off to good care. Rodney called him later and found out he had a concussion and a broken knee cap.....and a totaled Land Rover...that belonged to his girlfriend...and she was not happy. As Rodney headed back up to my truck, he found another woman we knew who had gotten her BMW stuck...Rodney got behind her and pushed her up the hill....he was a little sore this morning. Anyway, he made it back to the house safely....once the snow plows and salt trucks had made it through, we decided to take one of our two cars home with us....and drove back to the comfort of our own bed...and my contact solution! I hate not having it and was panicked all evening to think I'd have to either sleep in my contacts or soak them in water....ouch.

So, all in all, it was a good night that resulted in a beautiful blanket of snow across the ground. I'll post pictures of that later on tonight. Cathy is doing much better--she still has quite a bit of progress to make, but we're certain she can do it. Right now she still has trouble remembering a lot of words and she can't read, but everything else seems to be okay.

Check back with us for our snow pictures...

Pop the "Helper"

I've cut it down to two minutes...but it went on for about 25.

Best Buds

Until April, Clinton remains an only child...but he's never lonely! His best friend, Gracie, is always around to play with him. These two will play in the yard for an hour or so giving mommy a very nice, much-needed break. Rodney bought Gracie for me after we got married, but she seems to be a perfect match for our little stinker!

MIL Update #3

Rodney called tonight and my mother-in-law seems to be doing much better. Not back to normal, but not regressing...this is very good. The doctors have said she is going to be in the hospital probably 2 more days. After that she'll go home and we'll all take shifts staying with her. She won't be able to drive for quite some time. She will make the most progress with her memory over the next 3 months. Anything she doesn't get back from months 4 to 12, she won't get back at all. They seem very hopeful and positive about her recovery. She already started seeing a therapist today.

Her hematologist should be back in town this week and can begin figuring out why this happened in the first place. They'll need to keep her blood from getting this thin again. It seems her blood pressure got too high because her brain sends double signals to her heart making it work overtime, creating the high blood pressure which caused the blood vessel to burst in her brain.

Hopefully we'll have her at home and in her own bed very soon! Thanks for all your prayers--they're greatly appreciated....and seem to be working!

The Joys of Aunt Zsazsie

Over Thanksgiving break, Clinton got some much-needed lovin' from his Aunt Zsazsie (aka Chelsea). She came a few days before Turkey Day just to see Clinton since she was spending the actual holiday with her boyfriend's family. Clinton did not warm up to her until the last couple of days. Believe me, this had nothing to do with Chelsea....if Pop is ever around, Clinton wants his hat and his boots and wishes the rest of us would just disappear. So, Zsazsie had some pretty steep competition around. However, Clinton finally did warm up and loved playing with his Aunt. He loves all the attention and gifts he gets from her and will be very excited to see her at Christmas....even if Pop is here!

Clinton, are you sad to say bye-bye to Aunt Zsazsie?? (Seeing Chelsea off at the airport)


Clinton, show Aunt Zsazsie how much you love her!


Hey, Mom...I thought she was leaving. How long do I have to stand out here in the wind?



Clinton and Aunt Zsazsie playing with the box from Pop's new oven.




One day, mother, Chelsea and I decided we all wanted manis and pedis...but since there's no where to get one in their little town, we had to give them to each other. Clinton decided he wanted to help Aunt Zsazsie with Bebe's.